World Cup 2023: Four Defeats In Five Games! How Can England Still Qualify For Semi-Finals

In the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup, we have rarely seen a defending champion capitulate as badly as England have so far in the 2023 edition. The 2019 champions are off to a disastrous start, losing four of their opening five matches in the tournament and their title defence mission seems to have reached an impasse way earlier than expected. Their only win in India in the ongoing tournament came against Bangladesh, where the quintessential English white-ball side of the last few years turned up.

In the other matches, however, they looked far from the team the world witnessed since the Eoin Morgan revolution began in 2015. They scraped through to a par total against New Zealand in the tournament opener before the Kiwi batters humbled the English bowlers in the run chase, while their star-studded batting line-up just fell apart against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

With every team registering points in the tournament, the bottom half of the table is not a long distance away from sneaking into the top four. This may well work for the English team, who are currently closer to the exit doors than the knockout stages.

England find themselves in the ninth position after their defeat to Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. Their net run rate of -1.634 works against their favour, but we have seen some unlikely probabilities being materialised in sports, so this isn't entirely out of the reckoning.

England will face table-toppers India next in Lucknow, followed by Australia, Netherlands and Pakistan. The fixtures could not have been more challenging, but that is the need of the hour for the Three Lions.

Can England make it to the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-finals? Here's a look at all the scenarios that could unfold and where